DPD FY20 Prosecuting Cold Cases Using DNA

The Prosecuting Cold Cases Using DNA program provides funds to support the prosecution of violent crime cold cases, where DNA from a suspect has been identified (suspect(s) may be known or unknown). Provided that DNA attributed to a known or unknown suspect has been identified, funding support includes investigative activities and crime and forensic analyses that could lead to prosecuting violent crime cold cases, and decreasing the number of violent crime cold cases awaiting prosecution.

The primary objectives are: 1) Prosecution of cold cases involving violent crime where suspects have been identified through DNA evidence; and 2) Decreasing the number of cold case violent crimes where suspect DNA has been identified. The following activities are permissible as secondary objectives. All secondary objective activities must directly relate to cases where suspect DNA has been identified which include: 1) Increasing the capacity for state and local prosecution offices to address cold cases involving violent crime; and 2) Identifying, locating, collecting, processing, and analyzing evidence, including non-DNA evidence, to assist prosecutors with the litigation of violent crime cold cases where suspect DNA has been identified.

The recipient will utilize funds to add capacity to the Denver DA’s office which will hire an additional cold case deputy DA to prosecute violent crime cold cases; add a forensic scientist to the DPD Crime Laboratory; contract funds to analyze cold case evidence with familial DNA searching and FGGS; allocate overtime for cold case detectives to conduct post-familial DNA and FGGS investigations; dedicate funds for cold case detective travel to conduct interviews and collect DNA comparison samples; and finally, fund overtime to enter cases into ViCAP.

CA/NCF